Drilling Selection Requires Value Judgments
ables in the drilling process.
Principles of Drilling
The selection of a particular ma-
chine for productior~drilling is the
most critical drill evaluation the pit
engineer is called u,?on to make. It
is a true engineering design problem
requiring value judgments. Gen-
erally, the procedure follows these
steps:
(1) Determine and specify the
conditions under which the machine
will be used, including such service
factors as labor, site?, weather, etc.
(2) State the objectives for the
rock-breakage phases of the produc-
tion cycle of operations--considering
excavation and haulage restrictions,
crushing capacity, production quota,
and pit geometry-in terms of ton-
nage, fragmentation, throw, etc.
(3) On the basis of blasting re-
quirements, design the drill-hole
pattern (hole size and depth, in-
clination, burden, spacing, etc.)
(4) Determine the drillability
factors and select the drilling
methods which appear feasible for
the kind of rock anticipated.
(5) Specify the operating vari-
ables for each system under study,
considering drill, rod, bit and cir-
culation fluid factors.
(6) Estimate and compare per-
MINING ENGINEERS
formance parameters, including
costs. Major cost items are bits, drill
depreciation, labor, maintenance,
power and fluids.
(7) Select the drilling system
that best satisfies all requirements
with the lowest over-all cost.
Probably the most difficult steps
to accomplish in the entire design
procedure are (4) and (6). This is
because present drillability deter-
mination and performance predic-
tions are largely unreliable.
The various drillability factors
may be grouped in six categories:
(1) drill, (2) rod, (3) bit, (4) cir-
culation fluid, (5) hole dimensions,
and (6) rock. Those factors in
categories (1) through (4), com-
ponents of the drilling system it-
self, are referred to as design or
operating variables. They are de-
pendent (controllable) within limits,
although they are interrelated in
some instances, being selected to
match the environmental conditions
reflected by category (6).
The hole geometry factors of
category (51, drillhole size and
depth, are dictated primarily by
outside requirements and are in-
dependent (uncontrollable) vari-
OCTOBER 1967, MINING ENGINEERING--123
The environmental factors of
category (6) include the following:
(a) rock properties (resistance to
penetration, porosity, moisture con-
tent, density, etc.)
(b) geologic conditions (petrologic
and structural-bedding, folds,
faults, joints, etc.)
(c) state of stress (overburden
pressure and formation fluid pres-
sure; unimportant in shallow holes).
The table on page 124 is a
qualitative attempt to aid in drill
(or penetration system) selection,
relating application to rock type.
The rating is only a relative scale
of drillability (1=highest) with
corresponding examples. There is a
prevailing tendency for the field of
application of each method to ex-
pand toward the more resistant ma-
terials.
For selecting a drilling method
and considering costs, the graph
on page 124 can also be helpful.
This compares the costs per foot
of drilling a 9-in. hole by the three
most widely used methods (down-
hole percussion, roller-bit rotary,
and oxygen jet piercing) as a func-
tion of rock drillability. Operating
variables and typical costs were as-
sumed for drilling under normal
conditions in different kinds of rock.
 The latest rotary-piercing ma-
chine is a 48-ton, self-propelled unit
powered by electric motors and
capable of maneuvering over the
usual open-pit mine terrain. With
the exception of the blowpipe
rotary-drive unit, all machinery
components and electrical gear are
housed within the insulated cab.
The blowpipe consists of a long
tubular steel member. At the upper
end is an electric rotary drive and
a process-fluids joint. The lower
end of the blowpipe consists of a
kelly extension, header, fuel injec-
tor, burner and reamer shell. The
three process fluids-oxygen, fuel
and water-are fed from supply
hoses to the rotary joint through
separate conduits within the main
drill pipe to the burner assembly at
the lower end.
Two commonly used types of
piercing equipment are the suspen-
sion-piercing machine and the
manual-piercing blowpipe. All sus-
pension-piercing machines that
have been placed in service have
been converted churn drills. In sus-
pension piercing, a burner having
a single axial flame port is mounted
at the lower end of a 1000-lb blow-
pipe about 20 f t long, which is at-
tached to the drill cable of the ma-
chine. Three hoses carry water, fuel
and oxygen to the rear end of the
blowpipe. The nonrotating blowpipe
is oscillated up and down at ap-
proximately 45 cycles per minute
with a stroke of 4 in. As the blow-
pipe advances into the hole, process-
fluids hoses are attached to, and
enter the hole with, the drill cable.
The manual-piercing blowpipe
weighs approximately 21 lb and in
its standard length is designed to
pierce holes 1% to 2 in. in diam to
a maximum of 5 ft. Needle valves
for controlling the flow of process
fluids are provided at the rear inlet
of the blowpipe. An adjustable ex-
ternal spalling shield at the burner
end protects the operator from the
stream of gases, rock particles, and
steam which is emitted from the
hole.
Jet piercing makes it possible to
shape, enlarge or chamber the lower
portion of the blasthole. Patented
processes employing the jet burner
have been widely applied to the
working of dimension stone in the
granite industry. The flame process
for releasing large blocks of granite
in the quarry is known as jet
channeling and was introduced to
the industry in 1955. The blocks are
freed by channels or slots which
are cut in the formation with jet
burners in what is, in effect, a ma-
chining operation. The channels are
approximately 2% to 3 in. wide,
10 to 100 ft long and up to 30 ft
deep. Smaller blowpipes, both
manually operated and mechanized,
A great deal of the credit for the success of the American taconite min- are used to cut, shape and impart
ing operations goes to the engineering breakthroughs that led to the a flame-textured finish to granite
jet-piercing drills, such as that shown aboue. building stone.

1 2 L M I N I N G ENGINEERING, OCTOBER 1967 SOCl ETY OF